ROADS/BRIDGES: U.S. DOT to provide TIFIA loan to expand I-35E in Dallas metro area

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced Friday that the Texas Transportation Commission will receive a TIFIA loan for $285 million to finance the reconstruction and expansion of a section of I-35E in the Dallas metro area.

The project, to be completed in phases, will reconstruct and expand a 28-mile section of I-35E between I-635 to U.S. 380 that serves the rapidly growing areas of southern and central Denton County as well as the major Dallas suburbs immediately north of I-635. This major artery for commuters is also a primary link to Denton-area universities.

The $285 million loan will be used for the project’s first phase, a northern segment of the project that runs from Turbeville Road to U.S. 380. The improvements include one additional general-purpose lane in each direction and two reversible priced lanes. The lanes will be priced according to time of day and will be shifted in the direction of heavy traffic flow during peak times to relieve congestion.

The project also includes numerous frontage road, interchange and ramp additions and upgrades, especially along the Lake Lewisville section where there are no current north-south commuting alternatives to I-35E. A new bridge will also be constructed over the lake.